Accounting bachelor degree programs in Alabama represent a great choice for students who have a natural talent for management, mathematics, and the skills required to report on company finances. Thanks to a growing business sector and consistent demand for highly qualified accountants, the accounting profession is remarkably stable and looks to grow slightly faster than average throughout the end of the current decade. With a number of highly affordable, flexible programs located throughout the state of Alabama, students have never had it easier when it comes to finding the right program price, location, and instructional format. From online courses to strong campus programs, each of these degrees offer students a unique experience that will start preparing them for the CPA examination and a rewarding, long-term career.
Strayer University – Alabama
Department of Accounting
With more than 40,000 students, it’s hard to deny that Strayer is currently one of the largest for-profit universities in the country, with a number of physical campuses and a thriving distance education program that works with virtually all schedules. The Department of Accounting at Strayer University leverages the combination of both online and offline education for Alabama students, giving them the opportunity to attend classes on-campus in Birmingham or take online classes if they need to do so. Interaction is a key priority of professors who teach the undergraduate program, with both classroom discussions and online discussion boards taking center stage as students learn how to solve accounting dilemmas in real-time. Thanks to a vast, nationwide network of campuses and alumni, Strayer gives students excellent internship access and plenty of networking potential when they seek to land a job immediately after graduation.
Bachelor of Science in Accounting
Strayer’s accounting program focuses primarily on accounting and less on business or management, and this means students receive a comprehensive education that prepares them for work in all accounting sectors. Financial accounting and financial statement preparation are both covered at the beginning of the program, and serve as prerequisites for courses in managerial, intermediate, cost, and tax accounting. Federal tax policy is covered extensively, as is public accounting. All students must take business law and accounting ethics courses as part of the program, which will help them make good business decisions and scrutinize those that don’t seem fall in line with accepted business or accounting principles. Students will have the coursework they need to pursue a graduate degree, an entry-level job, and eventually the CPA examination in Alabama.
Contact
Strayer University – Alabama
Department of Accounting
3570 Grandview Pkwy #200
Birmingham, AL 35243
Phone: (888) 311-0355
Email:
Troy University
Department of Accounting
Troy University ranks highly in terms of initial value, educational quality, and educational outcomes. That means students can be assured of a relatively high job placement rate after they finish their undergraduate degree at the university. Within the Department of Accounting, all professors have obtained a doctoral degree either in business administration, management, finance, or accounting. Most professors are talented accountants who work throughout Alabama in the corporate sector, and that gives them the practical experience they need to teach students more than just textbook theory. For this reason, Troy University’s accounting department heavily values hands-on, real-world experiences that range from a required internship off-campus to student collaboration in the classroom. The department offers high-achieving students membership in a national honor society, and advises several student-professional organizations on Troy’s main campus.
B.S.B.A. Accounting
Troy’s program is primarily a business degree program, which means much of the curriculum revolves around marketing, finance, economics, management, communication, and business law. The accounting portion of the program is largely an in-depth concentration, and will see students take courses in financial accounting, intermediate and managerial accounting, budgeting and cost accounting, tax policy and public accounting, and ethical issues within the accounting profession. An internship is required of all students as part of the program, and the university has a policy of granting between three and six elective credits to students during the semester when that internship is being undertaken.
Contact
Troy University
Department of Accounting
600 University Ave.
Troy, AL 36082
Email: [email protected]
Website
Tuskegee University
Department of Economics and Finance
Tuskegee ranks fifth among all historically black colleges and universities in the United States, with a large enrollment and some of the most prestigious programs in the south. One of the university’s most successful programs is in accounting, overseen by the Department of Economics and Finance. The department is chiefly concerned with giving students the opportunities they need to get ahead in corporate America, and for this reason requires at least one internship of all students prior to graduation. The department also encourages participation in several accounting organizations on-campus. Professors in the accounting program have worked hard for doctoral degrees in the field, and are either current or former accountants off-campus.
B.S. Accounting Program
Though the degree offered is a pure accounting degree, students will be required to study a great deal of business courses prior to graduation. This includes the fundamentals of finance, management, economics, and marketing, alongside basic course in financial accounting and financial statement preparation. Students will then advance to managerial and intermediate accounting, auditing, forensics, and tax policy. An internship will be required during the final two years of the accounting program in order to prepare students for work in the field. As they complete the program, students will be eligible for enrollment in a MACC program that will help them gain the 150 necessary hours to take the Uniform CPA examination in the state of Alabama.
Contact
Tuskegee University
Department of Economics and Finance
1200 W. Montgomery Rd.
Tuskegee, AL 36088
Phone: (334) 727-8011
Email: [email protected]
University of Alabama – Birmingham
Collat School of Business
Though the University of Alabama’s main campus might be the state’s flagship university, the University of Alabama at Birmingham often rivals the system’s main campus in terms of academic prestige, student body size, and instructional quality. The Collat School of Business ranks as one of the top such business schools in the country, boasting AACSB accreditation and a doctoral group of faculty members who have real, hands-on experience in their field outside of the classroom. The university engages in a limited amount of research in business and accounting-related areas, and this research is often brought into the classroom through current events seminars and “topics in accounting” classes taken as an elective by most students. The Collat School of Business guides accounting students toward internships off-campus, while managing several student organizations on campus that focus on GMAT preparation, CPA exam preparation, an on-campus speaker series, and professional networking events each semester.
Undergraduate – Accounting
Students at UAB can pursue an undergraduate B.S. in accounting alone, or they can opt for a five-year program that grants them an additional Master of Accountancy degree. Curriculum at UAB covers financial reporting, auditing, tax policy, public accounting, managerial accounting, cost and budgeting, forensics, and business law. Students who opt to combine degree programs and graduate with both a bachelor’s and master’s degree will also study advanced accounting and management-related topics. All students cover business law and ethics, giving them the skills they need to make sound, high-integrity decisions within the business and public accounting sectors.
Contact
University of Alabama – Birmingham
Collat School of Business
1150 10th Ave. S.
Birmingham, AL 35205
Phone: (205) 934-8820
Email: [email protected]
University of Mobile
School of Business
Founded in 1961, the University of Mobile is one of the newest colleges and universities to begin accepting students in the state of Alabama. For the more than 50 years since its inception, the University of Mobile has remained a relatively small, private university that accepts a limited amount of students. Today, the institution has just over 1,500 students. Many of them are enrolled in the School of Business, where management and accounting are the two biggest undergraduate fields of study. The accounting program is taught by seasoned business accountants from the Mobile business sector, giving students access to the insights and experiences of those who have helped to push accounting forward. The School of Business is an active member of several professional and honor societies, and is routinely ranked highly among private schools of business for its small class sizes and excellent student support services.
B.S. in Accounting
At the University of Mobile, accounting students have a few really unique choices to choose from. First and foremost, all accounting majors pick from one of two concentrations. The first of these is known as Corporate/Non-Profit, where students learn how accounting works in each setting. A second concentration is available in Public Accounting, for those who intend to work directly with the public in tax firms, private practice, or similar venues. Most students opt for the four-year undergraduate program, but they can instead opt for the five-year, dual degree program that results in awarding of the B.S. in accounting and an MBA with an accounting concentration. The comprehensive curriculum spans tax policy, corporate and financial accounting, business law, GAAP, accounting ethics, and more.
Contact
University of Mobile
School of Business
5735 College Parkway
Mobile, AL 36613
Phone: (251) 675-5990
Website
University of Montevallo
School of Business
Though small, with a student population of just over 3,000 individuals, the University of Montevallo is increasingly one of Alabama’s most selective and highly ranked public institutions. The university is consistently ranked as the best master’s-level university in the state, and critics laud the institution for its commitment to affordability, quality instruction, and a favorable student-to-faculty ration. Within the School of Business, this means accounting professors have more time to actually get to know students, answer their concerns about the profession, and help them understand the key ethical and professional principles that should guide them in the workplace. Montevallo encourages internships of all students, and helps to place them in an appropriate business in the surrounding community. With a growing, regional reputation and a real opportunity for students to enjoy personalized instruction in the accounting field, it’s no surprise that the university’s rankings and local prominence have been dramatically increasing each year.
B.S. Accounting
Montevallo’s base accounting degree guides students toward graduation with 120 credits of business and accounting-related coursework that is instrumental when pursuing an education at the graduate level. All of the standard financial, managerial, cost, and intermediate accounting courses are offered, alongside studies of auditing, forensics, business law, ethics, and Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. If students with to sit for the CPA exam immediately after graduation, they can expand their coursework to 150 hours in order to meet the exam’s threshold. Students can also pursue a minor in the field, and all students have the ability to guide their studies with key electives into different accounting styles, venues, and ethical or legal considerations.
Contact
University of Montevallo
School of Business
Morgan Hall, Station 6540
Montevallo, AL 35115
Phone: (205) 665-6540
Email: [email protected]
University of North Alabama
Department of Accounting and Business Law
No university in Alabama is older than the University of North Alabama, which is the state’s oldest, publicly funded institution. The University of North Alabama is also a university on the rise, with dramatically increasing enrollment numbers over the past half-decade and a commitment to superior academic quality that has seen it rise precipitously in national rankings. The Department of Accounting and Business Law has increased quite a bit in size in recent years, growing programs to meet continued demand for legal professionals and accountants at all levels. The department is staffed by seasoned, doctoral accountants who are prepared to give students valuable, hands-on experience in classrooms, computer labs, and elsewhere.
Accounting Business Law
UNA’s program is the only on in Alabama to combine accounting and business law, which actually makes sense in today’s economy. Increasingly, accountants are responsible for both performing ethical services and ensuring that their employer isn’t hiding anything from investors or the public. This program teaches the fundamentals of accounting, through classes in financial accounting, cost accounting, and intermediate accounting, and then teaches students everything they need to know about irregularities through courses in GAAP, auditing, and forensics. The business law component covers the laws that govern ethical accounting, ethical business practices, and the regulations that govern product development, sales, marketing, advertising, and more. Graduates are primed to be excellent accountants, forensic professionals, or future attorneys in the business sector.
Contact
University of North Alabama
Department of Accounting and Business Law
One Harrison Plaza
Florence, AL 35632
Phone: (256) 765-4261
Email: [email protected]
Website
University of South Alabama
Mitchell College of Business
The University of South Alabama is a relatively recent addition to the state’s public university system, having been created by the legislature only in 1963. In the more than 50 years since its founding, the university has become the local leader in providing quality, public higher education programs. As the only public university along the Gulf Coast, USA’s Mitchell College of Business provides accounting students with the skills and insights they need to land an entry-level job in the field, make ethical decisions on behalf of their employers, and perform professionally even as they advance into higher-level positions in the field. Professors are involved in on-campus research that helps to better the educational quality overall and gives students a look at where accounting is headed and why.
B.S.B.A. in Accounting
First and foremost, the program at South Alabama is a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. This is a comprehensive business and management degree that requires multiple courses in finance, economics, management, marketing, strategic communication, and business law. The business core is paired with a slate of accounting classes that give graduates insight into proper financial reporting, tax services, and ethical decision-making. These classes include financial and intermediate accounting, auditing, cost accounting, ethics of the profession and GAAP guidance, and a primer on forensic accounting and investigations. By the conclusion of this program, students will have the foundation needed for entry-level work, graduate program enrollment, and eventual eligibility for the CPA exam.
Contact
University of South Alabama
Mitchell College of Business
307 N University Blvd.
Mobile, AL 36688
Phone: (251) 460-6101
Email: [email protected]
University of West Alabama
Department of Accounting, Finance and Economics
Though public in nature, the University of West Alabama has a student body sized more like that of a private school. This means accounting students in the Department of Accounting, Finance and Economics, receive personalized instruction in classes that are typically less than 20 people in size. The university’s professors all have doctoral degrees and are committed to giving students the attentive instruction they need to learn how to make ethical decisions after graduation. The university is also heavily involved in guiding students toward an appropriate internship to ensure they have an easier time landing an entry-level position in accounting after graduation. The program sets the foundation for a master’s degree in the field and eventual pursuit of the Uniform CPA examination in Alabama, which is a must-have for accounting students in the 21st century.
Accounting Program
It’s worth noting that the accounting program at UWA is offered through the College of Business, and therefore requires students to combine their accounting coursework with studies in management, finance, economics, and appropriate business communication. Outside of the business core, students will learn about financial accounting, financial reporting, auditing, tax considerations when filing on behalf of businesses or individuals, and the ethics of the accounting profession. Students will learn the difference between tax, corporate, and private practice accounting environments, as well as how to adapt their skills and services based on the size of the business they work with and the type of client that they’re serving.
Contact
University of West Alabama
Department of Accounting, Finance and Economics
100 U.S. 11
Livingston, AL 35470
Phone: (800) 621-8044
Email: [email protected]
The Bureau of Labor and Statistics has long highlighted the stability and moderate growth of the accounting profession as one of the safest bets for students. Alabama’s numerous programs offer those students a way to combine seasoned faculty, on-campus experiences, and off-campus internships into a sound education that will prepare them for work in this field. Choose one of the accounting bachelor degree programs in Alabama as a way to learn a great set of skills, enjoy occupational stability, and become a key part of the corporate world.